Pep Guardiola says winning made him tired

Brooks Peck

Dirty TackleMay 1, 2012

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season after four years of trophy collecting. Though everything from sitting in second place after three straight La Liga titles and losing to Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals to the many, grueling encounters with Real Madrid and the confrontational Jose Mourinho have been blamed for Guardiola's exhaustion, Pep says it wasn't any of those things.

"Did Mourinho influence my decision to leave? Not at all. I had other opponents as well, but other coaches don't make you tired. Day-to-day work and winning does," Guardiola stated at a press conference.

Yes, winning three La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, the Copa del Rey, five Super Cups (domestic and UEFA), two Club World Cups, a slew of individual coaching honors and countless other minor trophies and plaques is enough to tire anyone out. If you put all that silverware in one giant sack it's enough to crush Lionel Messi. But if he meant "winning" in the Charlie Sheen sense, well, I think Charlie Sheen would definitely agree.

Anyway, while Pep reveals his winning fatigue, Jose Mourinho is insisting that his departure will change nothing for Real Madrid. "If for him enjoying life means withdrawing from football for a while then so be it and I send him a hug," says Mourinho.